The Long Walk
by Sonfaro
Summary: *Anniversary Timeline* Sora winced but the pain lessened to some extent. "You… seem to know what you're doing." Tai looked up at her. "I don't. I'm making it up as I go."


**Digimon: The Long Walk**

By Sonfaro

--

The sun had just gone behind the clouds when it happened.

Sora Takenouchi, Digidestined and bearer of the crest of love, had been running through Odiba park for some time. Her face was red with exhaustion, and sweat trickled down her brow in waves. She was very late. Her mind was filled with the disappointed blues she'd recieve when she arrived at her destination. She wasn't looking where she was going. A simple outgrowth in the concrete was what messed up her footing. Her leg twisted strangely and forced her to tumble to the ground. She had moaned, clutching the end of her foot and cursing herself for being so clumsy.

Her immediate thought was to give the boy a call. That thought was dashed however when finding that her cellular phones battery was nearly dead. Not that it mattered. She couldn't seem to get a signal through the treeline at any rate. She attempted to rise, once, but the pain had her hobbling on one leg until she reached a set of stairs and simply had to seat herself, a wave of frustration, pain, and worry causeing tears to begin to well in her eyes.

She hadn't expected anyone to come to her rescue. She hadn't even given him a thought today, which was rare, though not unexpected. So when he appeared, tussled hair blotting off her vision of the tree tops, she had been surprised.

She hadn't seen Tai Kamiya in several weeks.

She blinked back the water in her eyes when she caught sight of him. "Tai?"

Taichi Kamiya nodded a greeting, apparently still dressed up from some school function. "What happened," he asked.

Sora blinked, sliding a strand of orangish-brown hair behind her ear. "I caught one of the steps wrong. I think my ankle may be broken."

He frowned. "Here let me see."

Tai knelt down to where her ankle, now red from the injury, rested on the cool gritty surface of the parks steps. Sora blushed and bit her lip as Tai removed her socks (something that would have earned him a black eye in other circumstances.) Thinking, he wrapped one of the socks across the girls ankle, applying slight pressure. Sora winced but the pain lessened to some extent.

"You… seem to know what you're doing."

Tai looked up at her. "I don't. I'm making it up as I go."

If Sora were a random anime character she would have fallen onto the ground swiftly in shock and annoyance, with a huge sweat drop hanging around her forehead. Since she wasn't, she simply decided to groan. Tai gave her a lopsided smile though, his cheek tugging at the edge of his lip, eyes dancing with humor... and something else.

Sora shook her head. That same stupid smile he'd kept from the digital world.

"What?"

She smiled back. "Nothing."

Tai eyed her closely before sitting down beside her. "Where're you headed?"

Sora blushed. "Matt's house."

Tai raised an eyebrow. "Matt's?"

"It's umm… complicated."

"I see."

Sora groaned, feeling a headache coming on. "And now I can't get there."

"Can you walk?"

"Uh…"

Without another word, Tai reached out his arms and took Sora by her hands. Sora bit her lip and shifted her weight and rose, ever so carefully, to an upright position. Still unsure, Sora reached out the injured foot.

"Ouch!"

"Nope," Tai shrugged.

Sora sighed. "No…"

All grew quiet for a moment. Tai looked at Sora. Sora looked at Tai. Tai grinned. "Well there's only one choice," he said. It was at this point that Sora would realize later that she feared for her life.

"What's that?"

And then Tai Kamiya turned his back to her and leaned forward. "Come on."

Sora's face nearly exploded with disgust. "Tai what are you doing!"

Tai looked back at her. "I'm going to carry you to Matt's."

Sora blushed. "Oh." She said. And Tai raised an eyebrow. He was going to say something else when Sora cut him off. "You can't be serious."

"Come on!"

"Tai, old people are looking at us."

Tai turned in the direction Sora was indicating. An elderly couple glanced at them, confusion on their faces (although the nice looking old lady was waving at the duo). Tai sheepishly smiled, moved from his strange and disturbing position, and sat beside Sora. "Matt's place is only three blocks away, we can make it."

"You really must be joking."

"Come on. We did it when we were little."

Sora blushed. "Did what?"

Tai blushed, grumbled something about 'stupid girls', then extended his hand to Sora. "Come on."

If she had any sense, Sora would later think, she would have just called Matt's house until somebody answered. Or phoned TK and told him to get her some help. But her foot throbbed and it was hot and here was an old friend she hasn't been close to in a long time. With a voice of _'I wish there was another way'_, Sora took Tai's hand.

Tai bent back over and began to lift Sora off of the ground. He took a step, and Sora flinched, griping his neck tight. Surprised at this, Tai dipped sidways, catching himself just intime to keep Sora from falling into a Sakura tree. "Watch it. Watch it."

"I know what I'm doing."

Sora groaned. "You almost pushed me into a tree!"

"I got you."

He wobbled a little, and Sora yelped in fright. Tai breathed in heavy and kept going, providing a very bumpy ride for his none to pleased passenger. "Why am I doing this?" Sora groaned as Tai began a sort of a pattern to his walk.

"Because you want to get to Matt's in a quick and relatively painless…"

Something whisked above his face.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry!"

"That was a tree branch Tai!"

A bead of sweat trickled down his brow. "I said sorry!"

"I should have kept trying to call Matt."

"The least you could give me is some positive reinforcement…"

"I'll give you some positive reinforcement all right", said Sora threateningly. "Right through your skull!

"_Oi Vei_…"

"You're not Jewish…"

"And you're not helping!"

Sora wobbled, and screeched, and held tight to Tai's neck. He wheezed and stumbled again. Sora winced. "Watch your footing!"

Tai stopped in the middle of the road. "That's it!"

"What?" Tai, who had not quite made it past the old staring couple, proceeded to lower Sora back to the ground. She panicked and held tighter, trying to keep her foot from touching the ground. "No!"

"If I'm doing so bad you can walk."

"Quit playing!" He wasn't playing. She felt her good leg touch the ground, panicked and tried to keep up. Here she was, hopping on one foot, trying to get onto a young mans back while a nice couple continued to stare. "Ouch! Taichi Yagami Kamiya!"

"Whoa! The whole name! I'm scared mom!"

"Tai stop…"

Tai turned his head to face her. Something in her voice had hit him.

"Please?"

He looked at her for a moment. Then looked back at the elderly couple (the nice old lady started waving again). Sighing, he dipped and helped Sora back up. "All right. But remember whose driving."

"You are," Sora murmured.

"That's right! Who's the man?"

"You are."

"Alright! Who can clown you at soccer any day of the week?"

"…You."

"Who's the best looking guy in all Japan?"

"Matt."

Tai's face fell. He rolled his eyes and snickered. "Can't fault a guy from trying."

"But you can fault him for stepping on every bump… Kidding! Kidding!"

Tai snorted and moved turned left facing the walkway, towards Matt's house. "You're just lucky I was around Sora", he told her as they walked. "Those UN meetings are hard to get away from."

"UN meetings? Oh that homework project from Social Sciences."

"Yep. I'm shadowing UN representatives in Tokyo this week."

"How was it?"

"Boring as crap."

Sora laughed. "Since when did you work so hard on homework?"

"Since it became my chosen profession."

Sora nearly heaved off of him in shock. Tai stumbled a bit. "It did not!"

"Yes, it did..."

"Did not!"

"Did so!"

"Did not!"

"What are you talking about?"

Sora frowned. "You wanted to be a Soccer Player when you got older, remember?"

Tai grew a little quiet. "That was… a long time ago," he said with a sigh. "Things change."

Sora softened as well. She knew what a _'long time ago'_ meant. Pre-Black WarGreymon's death. And subsequently before Christmas. Before Sora and Matt were together. Sora really began to believe that Tai was right. _Things change in two years._

"So, the UN huh?"

Tai brightened somewhat. "Yeah. Now that Digimon have gone public they're going to need some people who can get in and out." He filled his chest with pride. "And I figure that somebody might as well be me."

"Tai, the workingman. Never thought I'd see the day."

Tai rolled his eyes. "You're just on a roll back there aren't you?"

"Look's like it."

"So what are you and Matt going to do?"

Sora swallowed her saliva down wrong and began coughing. The question had come from nowhere. "What?"

Tai smiled and slowed down. "Well you know. What with Mister Ishida gone and all."

"Who… Who told you that?"

Tai smiled. "Oh, a nice little tweety bird."

"Biyomon is so going to get it…"

Tai laughed. "It wasn't her."

"Well who was it?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"Its…" Sora thought for a moment, before becoming a little stiffer and secretive. "It's a secret. Or at least it was supposed to be..." She glared. "Whoever told you has a big mouth."

"You would know, wouldn't you," Tai muttered under his breath.

Sora glared daggers into the back of his skull. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Tai rolled his eyes again and continued walking. "What ever. Look what are you and Matt going to do anyways?"

"Just… Talk."

"That's it?"

"Yeah."

"You could have done that on the phone."

Sora bit her lip. "It's more… intimate."

"What? Like sex?"

Sora's heart stopped beating momentarily. "Tai!"

"Yea or nay?"

Sora's face was beet red and she scoffed at the idea. "It's not that it's any of your concern."

"Oh, believe me. I'm concerned."

"Tai…" Sora groaned and gripped tighter about the boys neck.

"What," Tai yawned. "It's not like I'm going to shout it down the hallway at Matt's apartment."

Sora sighed and leaned into Tai a little more. Contemplating. "We just want to know where we stand," she said quietly. "We want to know where we'll be for the rest of our lives."

"Oh."

"Just, wanted to evaluate our relationship."

"Yeah…" Tai breathed deep for a minute. Sora looked up.

"You okay?"

"Just a little groggy," he admitted.

"Maybe we should rest on one of these benches."

"No, no. We're half way there already. Don't you think it would be a little pointless to kill the momentum?"

"Well…"

There was a long awkward silence as Tai took a turn down past the old Factory Mart building. "So how's the lesser sport?"

Sora rolled her eyes. "I don't participate in lesser sports. If you mean tennis, fine. At least until this…" She tried to wriggle her ankle and let out a sigh.

Tai smirked. "I said lesser sports and I mean tennis. Soccer still rules all sports with an iron cleat!"

Sora frowned. "The odds of Japan winning a world cup are extremely low this year."

"The odds of Japan winning **_any_** Tennis cup are extremely low **_every_** year!"

"Watch it."

Tai scoffed. "What? Backseat driving again?"

"You were about to step on that huge turd."

Tai froze in his tracks and looked down. A rather large plop of dog manure sat rather close to Tai's new white Adidas. Tai shuddered in fear. "Thanks." He hitched Sora up some more and circled around the mound of crud.

Sora giggled a little at Tai sudden sullen attitude. Tai rolled his eyes and continued onwards. Sora smiled and drew her arms tighter around his neck. "So what about your love life," she asked, never missing a beat. "Anybody new I should know about?"

Tai blinked in contemplation. "I'm banging Jun."

Any color Sora's face ever held instantly washed away. "WHAT!"

Tai smiled. "I'm kidding."

"Good."

"Mostly."

"Tai!"

Tai turned his head to watch her from the corner of his eye. "What? What's wrong with Jun?"

Sora sat somewhat ridged on Tai's back. She couldn't believe this! _What was wrong with Jun! "_She's obsessive, manipulative, rarely clad in anything decent…"

"And built like a goddess."

"Stop playing with me Tai. You're making my foot ache."

Tai sighed. "Alright, so Jun isn't built like a goddess or whatever, but no one woman is perfect right? Look, if you actually talked to the girl… Actually talked to her! You'd find she not all that bad." Tai lowered his voice a little. "Insane," he said. "But not bad."

"Yeah? Well there are some people who you just can't get around to talking to."

"Fair enough."

Sora groaned. "God… Jun? Tai, why can't you talk to a different girl? Like Eri? Or Takari?"

"I don't know those people."

"They're from Tennis."

Tai raised his eyebrow. "Ah, the lesser sport."

"Cute. What about someone on the world tour? TK said you two met a nice looking girl in France. Katie?"

"Catherine."

"What about her?"

Tai gave her a look. "She lives in France."

"Mimi?"

"She likes Izzy."

"Izzy doesn't want her."

"Joe wants her."

"Excuses, excuses…"

Tai grew strangely quiet. "I don't like breaking peoples hearts."

Sora blinked. "Tai?"

"It's nothing."

Sora frowned. "It isn't nothing. What's wrong?"

"Nothings wrong," said Tai, but his voice had become evasive. "Can we change the subject?"

Sora glared. A part of her knew what this was about, and she mentally kicked herself for not laying down the hatched with him sooner. "Not if you're still acting this way over me and Matt," she said sharply. "I thought you said you were fine…"

Tai stopped dead in his tracks, and turned his head to face her. "Look. Sora, I'm over you. It's alright. What _you _do with _your _boyfriend is _your _business." His voice trembled with emotion he probably hadn't meant to show, chocolate eyes dancing with light and anger and something else familiar. "Alright?"

There was a long, chilled silence, and Sora's blood ran a little cold. Tai didn't even look up at her. He just kept moving as they entered the Ishida's neighborhood. Sora bit her lip. "Tai?"

"What?" He bit back.

"Your face."

"What?"

She leaned closer to him, pressing her forehead aginst the back of his neck. "The look on your face," she said softly. "You don't make that face often."

"I don't know what you mean…" Tai mumbled.

Sora hesitated. "The last time you looked like that… was when Datamon tossed me into his void."

Silence again, but not nearly as cold as before. Tai blinked twice, then suddenly remembered. His voice lowered into a growl. "Yeah?"

"You caught me. And for a second you looked…" Sora bit her lip. She held him tighter, a slight smile spreading to her face. "I don't know," she said tenderly. "I'd never seen you look so scared before."

Tai frowned, the images of the ordeal still fresh in his memory. "I... I thought I was going to lose you." He admitted.

Sora blinked. Adjusting herself on his back with one arm, she used her now free hand to swat the back of Tai's head. The blow caught Tai off-guard, and he stumbled briefly, before shooting an eye to her.

"Ow, what was that for!?"

"Stupid Tai. You could never lose me."

Tai felt the muscles in his face relax. "No?"

"Of course not," Sora smiled back at him.

Tai blinked. "Promise?"

Sora nodded. "I promise."

Tai breathed in a breath of fresh air. "Well…" the silence returned again, in earnest. But this time neither of them minded so much. Sora's arms wrapped around his neck again, and for a moment Tai felt like a kid again.

Until the gate of the apartment complex of Matt Ishida was unavoidable.

"We're here," Tai said, trying to be cheerful, though his voice wavered slightly. Sora sighed, but nodded. Sure enough, they'd already reached the elevator. Sora held tight to Tai as he kneed the button for Matt's level and waited.

"I'm sorry."

Tai looked up at her. "For what?"

"For… You know. Earlier."

Tai smiled. "No. I'm sorry. Let's just forget about it. 'Kay?"

Sora smiled. "You got it."

They left the elevator, genuinely back in that good mood they'd had when starting this long walk. Passing the doors of Matt's neighbors they finally made it to Matt's door, when problems came up again.

"Well, don't just stand there," said Sora, "knock!"

Tai rolled his eyes. "I kind of have my hands full."

Sora blushed. "Oh."

"If you want me to let you down…"

"No!"

"I mean we're here now…"

"I know…"

"And you've literally been riding my back for about twenty minutes."

"Sorry…"

"And somebody's got to open the door."

"Maybe if I twist this way…" And Sora began twisting down Tai's back. Moving more to his front than anything else.

"That won't work..." A flustered Tai managed to stammer.

"Oh, it had better work!"

"Sora, what are you doing?"

Her leg got caught on Tai's arm. She rolled her eyes and kept going. "Hold still."

"Sora…"

"Keep your arm level."

"Dude! Do you know what's on my arm!"

"Shut up Tai! I'm almost down. Hold you arm in."

"Like this?"

"Yeah…"

"This?"

"Huh…"

"This…"

"Yeah…"

They didn't notice Matt standing in the doorway to his house, looking rather confused, until Sora made it to ground level. By that time, her bad foot and leg were wrapped around Tai and her arms gripped his waist for support. Tai's face was red and sweaty. There was a long… long awkward silence.

"Well..." began Tai. "This _is_ certainly awkward."

"What are you doing to my girlfriend?"

Sora and Tai quickly moved into a less… interesting, position, though Sora continued to try and lean on Tai. "Uh. She, hurt her ankle down at the… park."

Sora nodded. "Right…

"And so I had to carry her this far over."

"Un-hun."

"Whilst she complained about the ride."

"Tai…"

"And proceeded to rib on my poor choice of women."

"Tai, I think Matt gets the picture."

Matt turned to Sora slightly more sympathetic. "Need ice baby?"

"Yeah, that would help."

"Alright, come on."

Sora pouted. "You won't carry me?"

"You should be able to walk on it. In fact that's probably best. Instead of forcing Tai to carry you all the way over."

"It was no trouble man." Tai insisted.

Matt eyed the unkempt brunette coolly. "That's what I'm afraid of."

Matt reentered the house and left the door open. Sora took a step, winced, looked down and realized the pain was far from deadly, and that odds were it was only sprained. She gave a sheepish grin to Tai, who laughed in return. Smiles remained on both of their faces.

"I guess I'll see you around."

"Yeah."

"Thanks."

"Sure..." A weird look appeared on Tai's face then, a look he'd given her once before, a long time ago. "Sora..."

Before he could say anything else, Sora gave him a quick, friendly peck on the cheek. His face turned rosy for a second, before he shook his head laughing and headed towards the elevator. Sora smiled, and turned. She hadn't taken a step into the door when Tai called out to her

"And hey! Tell Matt that if he just wants a talk with his girlfriend, all he had to do was ask. Instead of making a huge mess about his father being away so I couldn't come over. I mean it's not like…" He grinned and his voice picked up. "SORA AND MATT ARE ABOUT TO HAVE SEX!"

He turned down the hallway and took off running, laughing manically to himself. Sora gawked, blushed, then gave up trying to be mad all together and entered the house, smiling as she went. Outside, the sun had just returned from the inside of the clouds…

--

_Finis._


End file.
